'Buoy' is pronounced 'boy', innit?
Nope; "boo-ee" here in N. America.
Speaking as someone who was once a PhD student in Linguistics: the question is really "why do people in the UK pronounce it "soLder?"
It's very common to have a "silent l" (so to speak) before oral stops (b, p, t, d, g, k) in English. Think about words like "would, could, walk, talk, yolk, etc." The "l" in all of these words is not normally pronounced. By analogy, no one should be surprised that "solder" is pronounced as "sodder"
This is the bit that puzzles me. In my (British) accent, I pronounce solder in a way somewhat similar to words like walk and talk that you mention. The main difference from the USA is that I use the soul vowel sound rather than the hot vowel sound. So my pronunciation of solder is somewhat akin to sou(l)der (where the L glides into the D and mostly disappears). In fact, the same vowel sound I would us in the word "fold", which also has a similarly silent L. For me, folder and solder both rhyme, and both have something between a dark L and a silent L.
I think a lot of people imagine the L sound to be present, when it isn't really there.
What do you mean by the soul and hot vowel sounds? I pronounce the o the same in hot and soul. Do you pronounce soul as so-well and solder as so -lder? I've heard those variations before but I believe they're not widespread.
What do you mean by the soul and hot vowel sounds? I pronounce the o the same in hot and soul. Do you pronounce soul as so-well and solder as so -lder? I've heard those variations before but I believe they're not widespread.
So if we now try to voice the consonant pair "LD", it is nearly impossible
Wut, are you seriously arguing that everybody should pronounce things the way you do? Really?
Honestly Im fine as long as you call it "American English".
'Buoy' is pronounced 'boy', innit?
Nope; "boo-ee" here in N. America.That's odd. I've never heard anyone pronounce buoy like that.
How do you say: buoyant and buoyancy? Is it boo-ee ant and boo ee n see?
Wut, are you seriously arguing that everybody should pronounce things the way you do? Really?
Honestly Im fine as long as you call it "American English".
Fine, then just be sure to call your version of it "British English".
Again, this must be a Northern Irish thing. In all my years living in England I've never heard anyone pronounce it like that - never. It is always pronounced "yott".
Yes. Yott or yaught. The elongated yawt is how "posh" people try and make it sound posh. You know the sort I mean.
With their Jaaaaag.
Wut, are you seriously arguing that everybody should pronounce things the way you do? Really?
Honestly Im fine as long as you call it "American English".
Fine, then just be sure to call your version of it "British English".
Why? "English" is already an adequate descriptor for a language from England.
Shaguar.
Shaguar.
I thought it was more like "jag-yOOOOO-ar".
Really the only thing that I cannot stand is a Brit trying to pronounce "Nicaragua".
They emit the most horrendous, tortured sounds possible in the process.
Non-Brits trying "Edinburgh" is a source of fleetingly brief amusement.
As it is for the language spoken here in the U.S.
Unless you have some problem with that.
As it is for the language spoken here in the U.S.
Unless you have some problem with that.
Obviously, I do. Clearly there are distinct differences, and in order to clarify the distinction, the form not from England requires an additional descriptor. Again, unless you want to have French French, German German, and Spanish Spanish, there's no need to further clarify where English comes from.
Non-Brits trying "Edinburgh" is a source of fleetingly brief amusement.
I still don't understand: is it pronounced as it looks ("burg", which seems right to me), or is it "Edinborough" as I hear it so often said?
As it is for the language spoken here in the U.S.
Unless you have some problem with that.
Obviously, I do. Clearly there are distinct differences, and in order to clarify the distinction, the form not from England requires an additional descriptor. Again, unless you want to have French French, German German, and Spanish Spanish, there's no need to further clarify where English comes from.
Well, there is Castillian Spanish as distinct from what's spoken in Latin America, so apparently we already have those.
Edinbara is much closer to correct, phonetically.
I still don't understand: is it pronounced as it looks ("burg", which seems right to me), or is it "Edinborough" as I hear it so often said?
I still don't understand: is it pronounced as it looks ("burg", which seems right to me), or is it "Edinborough" as I hear it so often said?
It's neither. It's Edinbrə, sort of close to "Edinbruh" or "Edinbra".
Not everyone. And it's misleading when you say "pronounce the L". It's a dark L, and in the same way "dark matter" is so called because we can't see it, the "dark L" is so called because we can't hear it. It modifies the shape of the tongue which affects the sound of the vowel/consonant pair, but there is no actual L sound.
There may be some accents where people emphasise the L sound, but it is certainly not "everyone".
When I (jokingly) affect a non-American accent , I pronounce these like "bowda" and "showda"
What do you mean by the soul and hot vowel sounds? I pronounce the o the same in hot and soul. Do you pronounce soul as so-well and solder as so -lder? I've heard those variations before but I believe they're not widespread.
For me, hot rhymes with what and bot.
Soul rhymes with coal and hole.
QuoteHow do you say: buoyant and buoyancy? Is it boo-ee ant and boo ee n see?
Nope, doesn't follow: it's "boy-ent" and "boy-en-see".